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United States Patent |
5,632,656
|
Lo
|
May 27, 1997
|
Expandable surface mount box for transmission line connectors
Abstract
A surface mount box including a substrate and a cover is disclosed. The
substrate has four side walls on a rectangular base. Coupling means are
formed on exterior surfaces of two of the side walls to connect with other
surface mount boxes for expansion. An opening on one of the side walls
provides a passage for a transmission line to go into the surface mount
box. Another opening is formed on one of the side walls to receive a
connector port. The cover has a number of coupling elements and a plug on
a base plate. When the cover is fastened to the substrate by the coupling
elements, the plug inserts into the opening for the transmission line and
confines the transmission line within a small region.
Inventors:
|
Lo; Jeffrey (11980 Telegraph Rd., #103, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670)
|
Appl. No.:
|
550539 |
Filed:
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October 30, 1995 |
Current U.S. Class: |
439/676; 439/717 |
Intern'l Class: |
H01R 023/02 |
Field of Search: |
439/676,701,717
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
4269470 | May., 1981 | Ustin | 439/717.
|
4290664 | Sep., 1981 | Davis et al. | 439/676.
|
4820192 | Apr., 1989 | Dunkmann et al. | 439/676.
|
5098316 | Mar., 1992 | Kollmann et al. | 439/717.
|
5370541 | Dec., 1994 | Bossard | 439/676.
|
5391095 | Feb., 1995 | Born | 439/676.
|
5431586 | Jul., 1995 | Klas et al. | 439/717.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
3627899 | Feb., 1988 | DE | 439/717.
|
Primary Examiner: Abrams; Neil
Assistant Examiner: Biggi; Brian J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bednarek; Michael D.
Kilpatrick Stockton LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An expandable box for containing a connector port which is connected
with a transmission line, said box comprising:
a substrate including:
a rectangular base;
a first side wall on one side of said base, having coupling means on the
exterior surface for expansion;
a second side wall connecting with said first side wall on said base,
having an opening for receiving said connector port;
a third side wall, opposite to said first side wall on said base, having
coupling means on the exterior surface for expansion; and
a fourth side wall, connecting between said first side wall and said third
side wall on said base, having an opening as a passage for said
transmission line;
a cover having a number of coupling elements and a plug on a base plate;
wherein said cover is fastened to said substrate by said coupling elements
and said plug inserts into said opening of said fourth side wall to
confine the transmission line therein.
2. The expandable box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coupling means on
the exterior surface of said first side wall include a flange.
3. The expandable box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coupling means on
the exterior surface of said third side wall include a groove.
4. The expandable box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first side wall
and said third side wall are provided with openings at their central
portions.
5. The expandable box as claimed in claim 4, wherein said cover further
comprises side plates on said base plate to cover said openings on said
first side wall and said third side wall of said substrate.
6. The expandable box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plug has a width
not larger than that of said opening of said fourth side wall.
7. The expandable box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cover is further
provided with a plurality of slots on a surface opposite to the coupling
elements.
8. The expandable box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connector port
includes a connector body and a plurality of coupling means on said
connector body for connecting with said substrate.
9. The expandable box as claimed in claim 8, wherein said connector port
further includes a circuit board to connect the transmission line and the
connector body.
10. An expandable box for containing a connector port which is connected
with a transmission line, said expandable box being expanded by connecting
with a second expandable box, each said box comprising:
a substrate including:
a rectangular base;
a first side wall on one side of said base, having coupling means on the
exterior surface for connecting with said second expandable box;
a second side wall connecting with said first side wall on said base,
having an opening for receiving said connector port;
a third side wall, opposite to said first side wall on said base, having
coupling means on the exterior surface for connecting with said second
expandable box; and
a fourth side wall, connecting between said first side wall and said third
side wall on said base, having an opening as a passage for said
transmission line;
a cover having a number of coupling elements and a plug on a base plate;
wherein said cover is fastened to said substrate by said coupling elements
and said plug inserts into said opening of said fourth side wall to
confine the transmission line therein.
11. The expandable box as claimed in claim 10, wherein said coupling means
on the exterior surface of said first side wall include a flange.
12. The expandable box as claimed in claim 10, wherein said coupling means
on the exterior surface of said third side wall include a groove.
13. The expandable box as claimed in claim 10, wherein said first side wall
and said third side wall are provided with openings at their central
portions.
14. The expandable box as claimed in claim 13, wherein said cover further
comprises side plates on said base plate to cover said openings on said
first side wall and said third side wall of said substrate.
15. The expandable box as claimed in claim 10, wherein said plug has a
width not larger than that of said opening of said fourth side wall.
16. The expandable box as claimed in claim 10, wherein said cover is
further provided with a plurality of slots on a surface opposite to the
coupling elements.
17. The expandable box as claimed in claim 10, wherein said connector port
includes a connector body and a plurality of coupling means on said
connector body for connecting with said substrate.
18. The expandable box as claimed in claim 17, wherein said connector port
further includes a circuit board to connect the transmission line and the
connector body.
19. The expandable box as claimed in claim 8, wherein said plurality of
coupling means on said connector body connect to corresponding coupling
means provided on said second wall of said substrate.
20. The expandable box as claimed in claim 17, wherein said plurality of
coupling means on said connector body connect to corresponding coupling
means provided on said second wall of said substrate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for containing transmission line
connectors, and more specifically, to an expandable surface mount box for
transmission line connectors.
2. Technical Backgrounds
High quality transmission lines have been provided for electrically
connecting various electronic components to improve data transmission
rates. A transmission line can be more adaptable if it is connected to the
electronic components through connectors. The connectors include a
first-type connector and a second-type connector. The transmission lines
are connected to the electronic components by engaging the second-type
connector with the first-type connector. That is, an electrical loop can
be formed if the second-type connector is inserted into and received by
the first-type connector.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional two-port containing box 10
for transmission line connectors. The box is composed of a cover 12 and a
substrate 14. Two ports 121 and 123 in a front end of the box are provided
for holding two first-type connectors. Two windows 125 and 127 are formed,
near the front end of the box, on the top surface of cover 12 for
inserting cards which are provided for indicating various connector ports
of the box.
A more detailed view of substrate 14 is illustrated in FIG. 2 whose
horizontal direction has a 90.degree. rotation from that shown in FIG. 1.
Therefore, the opposite side of the front end, i.e., a rear end of the
box, can be shown in the figure. Substrate 14 includes a plate and a
number of short walls standing near edges of the plate. The short walls
are provided for fastening side plates of the cover 12 when the cover 12
is engaged with the substrate 14. Two spaced posts 141 and 143 stand at
edge center of the rear end of the plate to define a passage for a
transmission line 147. A small cut 145a is formed at the plate edge
between the two posts 141 and 143 to facilitate entering of transmission
line 147 into the box.
However, the passage between posts 141 and 143 is not the only path by
which transmission lines can go into the box. For example, the
transmission line can go through the spacing between each post and its
adjacent short wall. Therefore, when cover 12 is engaged with substrate 14
and the transmission lines do not go through the passage defined between
the two posts, as is shown in FIG. 3, transmission lines 148 and 149 are
pressed by rear-end side plate of cover 12 and substrate 14. The
transmission lines crushed by side plate of cover 12 will be damaged, thus
causing an open circuit in the transmission line.
Moreover, the conventional containing box cannot be expanded. That is, the
box is provided with a fixed number of ports. For example, if an
additional transmission line is introduced into a two-port box which has
already been installed with two connectors for two transmission lines, the
two-port box cannot accommodate the expansion. Therefore, a four-port box
must be substituted for the two-port box which must then be subsequently
discard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a containing box having a unique passage for transmission
lines is provided in the present invention to prevent the transmission
lines from being crushed or damaged.
The present invention also provides a surface mount box which can be
expanded by directly connecting with other surface mount boxes to have a
desired number of connector ports.
The surface mount box of the present invention includes a substrate and a
cover. The substrate has four side walls on a rectangular base. Coupling
means are formed on exterior surfaces of two of the side walls to connect
with other surface mount boxes for expansion. An opening on one of the
side walls provides a passage for a transmission line to go into the
surface mount box. Another opening is formed on one of the side walls to
receive a connector port. The cover has a number of coupling elements and
a plug on a base plate. When the cover is fastened to the substrate by the
coupling elements, the plug inserts into the opening for transmission line
and confines the transmission line within a small region. Therefore, the
transmission line will not be crushed or damaged. The surface mount box
according to the present invention can be easily expanded by directly
connecting other boxes on side walls of the substrate. Furthermore, tabs
can be adhered to top surface of the cover to indicate the function of the
surface mount box, thus increasing the flexibility of use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred
but non-limiting embodiments. The description is made with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 (prior art) is a perspective view illustrating a conventional
containing box for transmission line connectors;
FIG. 2 (prior art) is a perspective view illustrating the substrate portion
of the containing box depicted in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 (prior art) is a schematic diagram illustrating two transmission
lines crushed by the containing box of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4A through FIG. 4C are perspective views of the surface mount box
according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the surface mount box;
FIG. 6 is a top view of the cover shown in FIG. 4C;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the surface mount box of the
present invention; and
FIG. 8 illustrates two surface mount boxes of FIG. 7 connected together by
connecting the coupling means on their side walls.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The surface mount box according to the preferred embodiment of the present
invention comprises a cover 32 and a substrate 34.
Referring to the FIG. 4A, substrate 34, which is substantially a
rectangular box without cover, having four side walls 341 through 344 on a
rectangular base 340 is illustrated. The four side walls, which encircle
base 340 to form a hollow, include a first side wall 341, a second side
wall 342 connecting to first side wall 341, a third side wall 343 opposite
to first side wall 341 and a fourth side wall 344 connecting between first
side wall 341 and third side wall 343. In order to increase the number of
connector ports, first side wall 341 and its opposite side wall, i.e.,
third side wall 343, having coupling means on their exterior surfaces
providing for connecting with other surface mount boxes. For example, at
least one flange 3422 perpendicular to the base of the surface mount box
is formed on a surface of first side wall 341, and at least one groove
3442 parallel to the flanges is formed on the third side wall 343. Since
groove 3442 has a wider bottom than its opening, and flange 3422 has a
narrower root, flange 3422 of one box can be exactly mated with groove
3442 of another box, thus securely connecting the two boxes together.
An opening 363 as a passage of the transmission line is formed on fourth
side wall 344. In the present invention, since no other passage than
opening 363 exists on the side wall, the transmission line can only enter
the surface mount box through opening 363. Moreover, as opening 363 is
deep, the transmission line can be easily aligned and installed therein.
On top edge of fourth side wall 344, a number of coupling means 348 are
provided for fastening cover 32.
As shown in the figure, an opening 361 for installing a first type
connector port is formed on second side wall 342. A number of coupling
means 346 and 347 are provided at edges of opening 361 to fasten the
connector port.
Referring to FIG. 4B, a connector port 36 which is suitable for installing
in opening 361 of substrate 34 is illustrated. In order to avoid most
structures being shielded by a board 36a, connector port 36 is illustrated
upside-down in FIG. 4B. That is, board 36a should be turned to the topmost
position when connector port 36 is about to be installed in substrate 34.
Connector port 36 has a connector body 360 in which a cavity 369 for
receiving a second type connector is formed. As shown in FIG. 4B, a
coupling flange 362 on top surface of connector body 360 can couple with
coupling means 346 of substrate 34. Connector body 360 is also provided
with a coupling means 362' which has a prostrudent end to match coupling
means 347 of substrate 34. Therefore, connector port 36 can be securely
engaged with substrate 34. Connector port 36 may further include circuit
board 36a to connect the transmission line and the connector body. The
interconnection line pattern on circuit board 36a has to be arranged
specifically to reduce signal attenuation.
FIG. 4C is a perspective view of cover 32 which has been turned
upside-down. As shown in the figure, cover 32 includes a base plate 320, a
number of coupling elements 321, two side plates 34b and a plug 323.
Coupling elements 321 tightly fasten cover 32 to substrate 34 when they
are engaged. Referring to FIG. 4A, in order to facilitate mounting and/or
dismounting two surface mount boxes, openings 34a are formed at central
portions of first side wall 341 and third side wall 343. Therefore, cover
32 has to be provided with side plates 34b to cover openings 34a. Side
plates 34b must be thinner than side walls 341 through 344 or they will
affect the connection of coupling means 3422 and 3442.
When cover 32 engages with substrate 34, plug 323 inserts into opening 363
to confine the transmission line within a small space. The width of plug
323 is not larger than the width of opening 363. FIG. 5 is a side view
illustrating the situation when plug 323 of cover 32 is inserted into
opening 363 of substrate 34. Since the transmission line 38 can be pushed
into the bottom region of opening 363 by plug 323 when cover 32 engages
with substrate 34, the transmission line 38 can be well confined within a
small region and will not be crushed by any side plate or side wall of the
box elements.
Cover 32 can be further provided with a number of slots on a surface
opposite to that containing the coupling elements 321, as shown in FIG. 6.
These slots, including a function illustrating slot 325, a user
illustrating slot 327 and a color illustrating slot 329, provide more
information about the surface mount box than that of the prior art box.
Function illustrating slot 325 shows the function of the surface mount
box. In user illustrating slot 327, there can be a white paper for
recording any information that the user wishes. Color illustrating slot
329 can contain a color card therein to show the property of the surface
mount box. Therefore, through the information shown in slots 325, 327 and
329, the user can rapidly realize the usage of each surface mount box,
thus facilitating the expansion of the boxes.
The complete surface mount box including substrate 34, cover 32 and
connector port 36 is illustrated in FIG. 7. On side walls of the surface
mount box, coupling means 3422 and 3442 are formed for connecting other
surface mount boxes. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the surface mount
box is connected with a second expandable box by the coupling means. Since
the top surfaces of the covers have various slots for indicating the
functions of the surface mount boxes, the user will not be confused by the
expanded boxes. Moreover, the number of expanded surface mount boxes can
be increased as desired.
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